William Nylander Reveals True Colors Ahead of Game

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Tyler Ball
September 25, 2023 (12:34)

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William Nylander has faced a lot of talk surrounding him heading into the NHL season.

He is heading into the last year of his contract and holding strong to his value. Last night Nylander showed his true colors before a preseason game.

Maple Leafs Open Their Preseason Against A Division Rival

The Toronto Maple Leafs opened their preseason slate of games against their division rival the Ottawa Senators. The two teams iced different lineup types.

The Senators opted for a more NHL-heavy and veteran squad. The Maple Leafs on the other hand trotted out a lineup mostly made up of AHL and CHL players. This had a couple of exceptions to it.

The two biggest names in the lineup for the Maple Leafs were William Nylander and Matthew Knies. Both figure to be in the opening night lineup but took the ice for this meaningless preseason game anyway.

Nylander also filled an unfamiliar role for him playing the penalty kill. Nylander does not play the penalty kill for the Maple Leafs when they are in their normal lineups but this could be a sign of things to come.

William Nylander also shocked fans with a pregame action that showed his true colors.

Nylander Shows His True Colors

William Nylander before the game did something that surprised everyone. Nylander embraced taking on roles he wouldn't normally do during a regular season game once again.

This time he helped the equipment staff bring in all of the equipment to the locker room.

William Nylander helped bring the team's equipment in

Nylander flips the script a bit with this action. In recent weeks he had been called selfish and egocentric.

Helping the support staff and playing roles he wouldn't normally is a good way to shut this narrative down. Nylander is showing how valuable he can be to the Maple Leafs organization on and off the ice.

While these gestures are nice by Nylander they still don't change his contract situation. Nylander has said time and again that he wants to be a Maple Leaf.

His actions of reportedly strong-arming the Maple Leafs into meeting his price do not match his words. As the season continues on it will be interesting to see if Nylander keeps up these selfless acts or starts looking out for himself more.

As Read On - Maple Leafs Daily -
William Nylander shows his true colours before yesterday's pre-season opener